Journey Together
Discover
Self-Reflective Questions
Self-Reflective Questions
Self-Reflective Questions
- Why: Self-inquiry reveals the deeper desires behind your career dreams—connection, contribution, creativity, etc.
- Tips: Try questions like: What do I want to be known for?; What kind of problems do I enjoy solving?; When have I felt most useful? Most seen? Most fulfilled?
Career Resources
Self-Reflective Questions
Self-Reflective Questions
- Why: Low-cost or free platforms allow you to explore potential career paths without commitment.
- Tips: Try Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, or local workforce development sites. Look for keywords like flexible work, remote, accessible careers, or part-time opportunities.
Career Assessment
Self-Reflective Questions
Job Shadow or Volunteer
- Why: Tools like StrengthsFinder, Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, or Working Genius help you understand your natural tendencies and strengths. Click here to access assessments.
- Tips: Don’t treat them as answers—use them as a starting point for reflection. Ask: What parts of this feel true about me?
Job Shadow or Volunteer
Books About Purpose & Work
Job Shadow or Volunteer
- Why: Low-commitment experiences can help you test the feel of a role without jumping all in.
- Tips: Ask a friend or connection if you can observe their work for a few hours, help with a small project, or volunteer remotely to get a sense of the day-to-day.
Books About Purpose & Work
Books About Purpose & Work
Books About Purpose & Work
- Why: Books can help you reflect on deeper values and reframe your idea of career beyond productivity.
- Tips: Try looking for these books about purpose and work at your local library or purchase your own copies to read.
What Energizes You
Books About Purpose & Work
Books About Purpose & Work
- Why: When your energy is limited, it’s essential to notice what lifts you up rather than drains you.
- Tips: Keep a log for a week. Ask: What tasks or conversations gave me energy? What felt natural? What felt like a struggle?
Talk with Employers
Identify Non-Negotiables
Identify Non-Negotiables
- Why: Sometimes flexible or hybrid roles exist—you just have to ask. Employers may be more accommodating than you think.
- Tips: Ask about alternate roles, project-based work, or ways to grow within your current job in ways that better fit your needs.
Identify Non-Negotiables
Identify Non-Negotiables
Identify Non-Negotiables
- Why: Chronic conditions or caregiving often require strict boundaries—like flexible hours, remote work, or low physical demand.
- Tips: Make a list: What do I need in a job to protect my health or caregiving role? Let these be filters for your exploration.
Ask People Who Know You
Identify Non-Negotiables
Ask People Who Know You
- Why: Others may see your strengths or patterns more clearly than you do. Conversations can offer clarity and encouragement.
- Tips: Ask: When do you see me come alive? What kind of work do you think I’d thrive in? Be open to themes, not just roles.
Adapt
Reimagine Your Existing Career
Reimagine Your Existing Career
Reimagine Your Existing Career
- Why: You don’t have to leave your profession—you may just need to reshape your role.
- Tips: Ask: Can I teach instead of do? Consult instead of manage? Write instead of speak? Find ways to pivot within your expertise.
Reduce Hours
Reimagine Your Existing Career
Reimagine Your Existing Career
- Why: Energy and time are limited resources. A lighter schedule may help you thrive longer and avoid burnout.
- Tips: If full-time is too much, consider consulting, freelancing, or part-time roles that still use your skills.
Adapt Your Workspace
Reimagine Your Existing Career
- Why: A physically supportive environment reduces pain, strain, and frustration.
- Tips: Use ergonomic tools, mobility aids, seat cushions, sit/stand desk, etc. (See next point about requesting reasonable accommodations.)
Request Reasonable Accommodations
- Why: Under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), you have legal rights to accommodations that can help you succeed without sacrificing your health. Click here to learn more.
- Tips: Request modifications like flexible hours, a closer parking spot, or a quieter space. Be honest about what helps you function best.
Remote or Hybrid Work
Use Assistive Technology
- Why: Working from home can reduce fatigue, pain, and the stress of commuting—offering more control over your environment.
- Tips: Talk to your employer about remote flexibility or explore remote-first job boards like We Work Remotely or FlexJobs.
Use Assistive Technology
Use Assistive Technology
- Why: Tech tools can bridge the gap between your challenges and your goals—quietly and effectively.
- Tips: Explore tools like speech-to-text (e.g., Dragon), hearing aids, screen magnifiers, or task automation apps to simplify your day.
Create or Join a Professional Network
- Why: Connecting with others who understand your situation can offer encouragement and practical tips.
- Tips: Look for disability-inclusive professional groups or chronic condition networks in your industry. You’re not alone in navigating this.
Work With Your Energy Patterns
- Why: Working with your body—not against it—leads to more consistent, sustainable productivity.
- Tips: Notice when you feel most alert or focused. Can you schedule demanding tasks for those windows, and reserve quiet work or rest for low-energy times?
Accept That Your Career Might Evolve
Accept That Your Career Might Evolve
- Why: Grieving what’s changed is valid. But letting go can also open space for new, more aligned opportunities.
- Tips: Give yourself permission to shift paths. Adaptation is not failure—it’s resilience. Ask: What kind of work supports who I am now?*
Cultivate
Track Joy
Seek Out a Mentor or Career Ally
Seek Out a Mentor or Career Ally
- Why: When energy is limited, following joy can lead to work that feels aligned and doable.
- Tips: Keep a “Joy Tracker” for a week. Note what tasks make you feel useful, creative, or connected—these are seeds for cultivating a career you’ll love.
Seek Out a Mentor or Career Ally
Seek Out a Mentor or Career Ally
Seek Out a Mentor or Career Ally
- Why: Mentors offer encouragement, perspective, and guidance based on real experience.
- Tips: Reach out to someone whose path or values you admire. Be honest: “I’m navigating a new season and exploring what’s next—could I ask your advice?”
set Career Goals
Seek Out a Mentor or Career Ally
Volunteer for New Roles or Projects
- Why: Goals help you move forward intentionally, even in small steps.
- Tips: Choose one tiny, achievable step each week—like updating your resume, reaching out to a mentor, or learning a new tool. Progress counts, even if it’s slow. Here are tips on how to set SMART goals.
Volunteer for New Roles or Projects
Volunteer for New Roles or Projects
Volunteer for New Roles or Projects
- Why: Trying new tasks can reveal hidden strengths and help you explore career pivots with less pressure. Ensure what you try fits your current energy level.
- Tips: Look for one-off or short-term opportunities within your current role or community—think: a writing project, social media help, or event planning.
Shape Your Role
Volunteer for New Roles or Projects
Continuing Education
- Why: You may not need to change jobs—you may just need to shape your job more intentionally.
- Tips: Talk with your employer about focusing on tasks that energize you most. Propose a shift in responsibilities that plays to your strengths.
Continuing Education
Volunteer for New Roles or Projects
Continuing Education
- Why: Building knowledge and skills keeps you engaged, inspired, and more confident in your direction.
- Tips: Try short courses through Coursera, edX, Skillshare, or your local library. Choose formats you can pause, repeat, and explore when energy allows.
Ask for Support
Take Time to Reflect
Ask for Support
- Why: Open communication creates space for accommodations, flexibility, and growth.
- Tips: Share what helps you thrive with your supervisor or team. Use “I” language and focus on solutions: “I do my best work in the mornings—can we shift my meetings earlier?”
Connect
Take Time to Reflect
Ask for Support
- Why: Connection leads to opportunities, support, and inspiration.
- Tips: LinkedIn communities, or other networks in your field can be beneficial in cultivating your career.
Take Time to Reflect
Take Time to Reflect
Take Time to Reflect
- Why: Ongoing reflection helps you course-correct and cultivate a career that supports—not drains—you.
- Tips: Set aside time monthly to journal or check in with a mentor: What’s been most life-giving at work? What needs to shift?
Rediscover
Rediscovering a career—especially after time away due to chronic chronic or caregiving—can sometimes be a process. It’s not just about reconnecting to work; it’s about reconnecting to identity, purpose, and hope.
Whether you're easing back into an old role or exploring how a former career might fit into your new life, this process deserves intentionality, honesty, and encouragement.
Here are 9 practical ways to rediscover a career that might be a good fit:
Revisit Roles That Bring Joy
“Rediscovery” Might Look Different Now
“Rediscovery” Might Look Different Now
- Why: Former careers or jobs may hold clues to what still resonates—especially if they energized you before.
- Tips: Reflect: What parts of that job lit me up? What could be adapted now? You don’t have to return exactly as you were—just bring the pieces that still fit.
“Rediscovery” Might Look Different Now
“Rediscovery” Might Look Different Now
“Rediscovery” Might Look Different Now
- Why: It’s okay to grieve what’s changed, but honoring what’s possible now is powerful.
- Tips: Ask yourself: What would it look like to do this in a way that supports my health? Make space for a new version of a past passion.
Explore ReEntry Points
“Rediscovery” Might Look Different Now
Explore ReEntry Points
- Why: You don’t have to jump back in at full force. A gentle re-entry can help you rebuild confidence.
- Tips: Consider internships, freelance work, temp jobs, or mentoring in your old field. Ease in—don’t overwhelm yourself.
Connect with People
Take Inventory of Skills
Explore ReEntry Points
- Why: Reconnecting with former colleagues or employers who knew you in your previous role can help open doors or offer guidance.
- Tips: Send a simple message: “I’ve been on a different path and am considering returning to [industry]. I’d love your insight.”
Take Inventory of Skills
Take Inventory of Skills
Take Inventory of Skills
- Why: You’ve grown in ways that matter—even if they weren’t “professional.” Caregiving and navigating a chronic condition build resilience, time management, empathy, and adaptability.
- Tips: Write a “skills snapshot” that blends past experience with what you’ve developed during your time away.
Test the Waters
Take Inventory of Skills
Take Inventory of Skills
- Why: Trying something without pressure helps you gauge readiness and rekindle confidence.
- Tips: Volunteer in a related space, help with a one-time project, or shadow someone. It’s okay to explore without committing.
Coaching or Counseling
Realistic Goals for Reentry
Coaching or Counseling
- Why: Rediscovering a career touches on identity and grief. Having a guide can help you navigate emotions and options.
- Tips: Look for career coaches who specialize in transitions, chronic conditions, or disability. Many offer sliding-scale options.
Your “Why” Can change
Realistic Goals for Reentry
Coaching or Counseling
- Why: You may be coming back to a former career—but with new motivation, priorities, and perspective. Let that shape your next steps.
- Tips: Journal on questions like: Why do I want to return? What do I want this career to give me—and what do I want to give through it now?
Realistic Goals for Reentry
Realistic Goals for Reentry
Realistic Goals for Reentry
- Why: You may need to pace yourself, and that’s okay. Starting slow doesn’t mean you’re not progressing.
- Tips: Create goals like: “Reconnect with one person from my field,” or “Take a 2-hour online refresher course.” Here are tips on pacing yourself when reentering the workforce.